Suction sweeper



R. W. WEIR AND W. LOWERY.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14,1919.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922..

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R. W. WEIR AND W. LOWERY.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14.1919.

mwfiwo Patented Dec. 5,1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

F I F" F 5 F E 2 H9 2' lnvenfars Roy Weir &-

lliam E. Lowe/y WiTness:

R W. WEIR AND W. LOWERY.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14.1919.

Patented. Dec. 5 1922 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

" W/fness:

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

rrlzo STATES PATENT or ROY W. WEIR AND WILLIAM LOWERY, 0F HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNORSTO MARVEL COMPANY, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

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I Application fi1ed J'uly14, 1919. Serial No. 310,606.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we, ROY W. WEIR and WILLIAM LowERY, citizens of the United States, residing at Hammond, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Suction Sweepers, of'which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in suction sweepers and has for one ob ect to provide a new and improved form of hand operated suction sweeper, particularly of the type wherein a fan is used to suck up dust laden air and discharge it into a bag.

Sweepers of this type have been usedbefore wherein there was a train of gears between the supporting axle and the fan whereby a forward movement of the housing would cause a rotation of the supporting wheels and thus drivethe fan, the rear movement leaving the fan and gear train free to go forward because it was connected through an overrunning or ratchet clutch. Experience has, however, shown that an apparatus of this type, wherein the overrunning clutch was between the gear train and the axle, as has been the past practice, was not satisfactory because it made it necessaryfor the fan to carry the gear train with it as it ran forward, dissipating a large proportion of the stored energy on the return stroke. The result was that, owing to the friction of the gear train, the fan decelerated.

too rapidly and the suction during the return stroke was very much too low. Owing to thedelay while" the fan speeded up on the forward stroke, it was too low there also. B our invention, we provide a free fan which stores energy on the forward stroke and which is disconnected altogether from of our cleaner Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; e

Figure 4: is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure l.'

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the several figures.

A is a forwardly extending suction casing with a suction nozzle A which has asuction inlet A with a brush A mounted therein in any suitable Way. Leading to the fan casing in the rear is the vacuum passage A. Adjacent the center of the brush is a pulley A adaptedto be surrounded and rotated by a belt A which enters the bottom of the mouth throu h the slit A. It is driven by the pulley on the wheel B which is rotated by contact with the surface to be cleaned which it engages by the two rims B surrounding the pulley B and preferably surfaced with rubber or other frictional material. The wheel and pulley are mounted in a yoke B which is pivoted at its front on the underside of the nozzle casing. The opposite end of the yoke is engaged by a s'et screw B the rotation of which adjusts the height of the wheel and thus of the suction nozzle. of the rearward extension of the suction casing forms a relatively flat platform C, of substantially circular contour, on which is mounted the fan casing C which is preferably cast separate and secured to the rest of the casing b any suitable means. A. horizontal fan 2 is mounted therein on a vertical shaft C The passage A leading from the suction nozzle lies in advance of the axis of the fan, and terminates in a substantially horse-shoe shaped opening in the platform C which communicates with the bottom of the fan chamber. This opening extends around the fan shaft and is directly beneath the fan. The fan'shaft penetrates the platform C and projects down into the gear housing D beneath it being journalled as at D. The housing D depends from the rear portion of the platform (a and The suction top the suction casing A and has a removable bottom D Intermediate its ends within this-housing the fan shaft carries a pinion sleeveD in engagement with the horizontal gear E on the stub shaft 1E journalled in and de ending from the platform C. The

the gear housing and is rotatably supported in lugs F depending from the platform C.

This shaft carries the wheels F 4 F 4 on which the suction casing is supported, these wheels being preferably surrounded by frictional rims F of rubber or other suitable material. Within the gear F is a roller ratchet comprising the indentations F on the inside of the gear, the rollers F therein, and the springs F adapted to keep the rollers seated the direction is reversed, is almost in stantaneous. The upper end of the fan shaft G has milled in it the elongated flute members G and Within them are located the ratchet rollers G The depending elongated fan hub G surrounds and engages the ratchet rollers, but i out of contact with the ratchet member, and is supported loesely on a single ball bearing G mounted in the socket at the top of he ratchet member.

' The lower end of the shaft fits within and projects below a horizontal perforated uide lug C formed on the suction casing within the housing l), and at its projecting extremity said lower end of the shaft C is provided with a ball bearing G This bearing and the guide lug C insure true running of the shaft U and proper balancing of the loosely mounted fan C at the upper end of said shaft. It will be understood, of course, that this disposition of ball bearings might be varied; the essential point is that the fan rotates freely, and carries with it only its own hub. When the ma chine is pressed forward, the clutch within this hub drives the fan.v The instant forward acceleration ceases, the ratchet clutch automatically breaks its connection and the fan rotates freely on the ball bearings,'utilizing all of its force and momentum in maintaining its own speed and suction. Mounted on the dependin lugs F are projecting studs or screws on which the prongs H of the handle bail are rotatably mounted. The studs H are so positionedthat when the handle bail is horizontally positioned, it rests on the shaft F When the handle bail is in upright osition' or rather is tiltedslightly forwar it is supported by projections H H on the suctien casing. A handle H of any suitable type is mounted in the handle bail and supports the outer; end of the bag H, the inner end of which is clamped about the outlet H in the an casin wheels as shown. These wheels are preferably rubber tired to that there will' be a strong frictional connection between them and the floor or floor covering. The nozzle carried by the housing'or frame work extends down close tothe floor covering, and

there is a suction passage leading from it to the fan chamber. There is a gear train enclosed within a dust tight housing and leading from the axle to the fan and driving it. The fan discharges the dustladen air through a passage into a dust bag supported partially on the housing and partially on the operating handle, whereby the dust is separated out of the air and the material picked up from the carpet is retained. while the air passes on. 1

The overrunning clutch is located within the fan hub which latter fits over and em braces the ratcheted upper end of the fan shaft C The fan C thus is loosely mounted on the upper end of the shaft C and wholly supported by the latter, the clesed upper end of the fan hub resting on the single ball bearing Gt} By reason ofthe elongated-ratcheted upper end of the shaft C- and the elongated hub G of the fan an extended bearing for the latter is provided, thereby insuring steady balanced movement to the fan in its rotatien. By the construction described the fan is also permitted to ro-.

tate freely and without having to carry the gear train .with it. Thus it keeps its speed and does efi'ective cleaning on the return :stroke as well as onthe forward stroke, and

and arranged at the rear of said casing,

of a vertical fan shaft fitted in said platform, the lower end of said fan shaft being journalled in said housing and the upper end of which is free, a horizontal fan loosely mounted on the free end of said shaft and wholly supported by the shaft above said Leaner? platform, the latter having an opening beneath said fan in communication with said suction casing, a fan casing associated with said platform and enclosing said fan, a clutch between said shaft and said fan to drive the fan in one direction of movement of said shaft, a wheel-supported driving shaft extending through said gear housing, and gear connections within said housing between said driving shaft and said fan shaft.

2. In a suction sweeper of the class described, the combination with a suction casing including a forwardly extending suction nozzle, a rearward extension the top of which is flat to provide a platform, and a gear housing depending from said platform and arranged at the rear of said. casing, of a vertical fan shaft fitted in said platform, the lower end of said fan shaft being journalled in said housing and the upper end of which is free, a horizontal fan loosely mounted on the free end of said shaft and wholly supported by the shaft above said platform, the latter having an opening beneath said fan in communication with said suction casing, a fan casing associated with said platform and enclosing said fan, the upper end of said fan shaft having an elongated bearing surface, the fan having an elongated depending hub fitting over the bearing surface of said shaft, said bearing surface and said depending hub providing an extended bearing for the fan to insure balanced movement of the fan in its rotation, a clutch between said shaft and said fan to drive the fan in one direction of movement of said shaft, a wheel-supported driving shaft extending through said gear housing, and gear connections within said housing between said driving shaft and said fan shaft.

3. In a suction sweeper of the class described, the combination with a suction casing including a forwardly extending suction nozzle, a rearward extension the top of which is flat to provide a platform, and a gear housing depending from said platform and arranged at the rear of said casing, of

a vertical fan shaft fitted in said platform, the lower end of said fan shaft being journalled in said housing and the upper end of which is free, a horizontal fan loosely mounted on the free end of said shaft and wholly supported by the shaft above said platform, the latter having an opening beneath said fan in communication with said suction casing, a fan casing associated with said platform and enclosing said fan, the upper end of said fan shaft having an elongated ratcheted clutch to drive the fan in one direction of movement of said shaft,

the fan having an elongated depending hub fitting over the ratcheted clutch of said fan shaft, said ratcheted clutch and said depending hub providing an extended bearing for the fan to insure balanced movement of the fan in its rotation, a wheel-supported driving shaft extendingthrough said gear housing, and gear connections within said housing between said driving shaft and said fan shaft.

4. In a suction sweeper of the class dethe latter having an opening beneath said fan in communication with said suctlon casing, a fan casing associated with said platform and enclosing said fan, the upper end of said fan shaft having an elongated ratcheted clutch to drive the fan in one-direction of movement of said shaft, the fan having an elongated depending hub fitting over the ratcheted clutch of said fan shaft, said ratcheted clutch and said depending hub providing an extended bearing for the fan to insure balanced movement of the fan in its rotation, the upper end of the fan shaft also having a socket, a bearing ball seated in said socket and on which the closed end of the hub of the fan rests and is supported, a wheel-supported driving shaft extending through said gear housing, and gear connections within said housing between said driving shaft and said fan shaft.

Signed at Hammond, Indiana, this 10th day of July 1919.

ROY W. WEIR. WILLIAM LOWERY.

Witnesses DAVID T. EMERY,

L. G. EDER. 

